


Burns

by SadCrimsonEyes



Category: Death Note & Related Fandoms
Genre: AU (Matt & Mello are alive), Angst, Crimes & Criminals, Depression, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Handcuffs, Heavy Angst, Implied/Referenced Abuse, M/M, Non-Consensual Bondage, Pain, Past Abuse, Post-Canon, Regrets, Revenge, Shock Collars, Slavery, Ten Years Later, Violence, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-19
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2020-03-08 03:49:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18886582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SadCrimsonEyes/pseuds/SadCrimsonEyes
Summary: It has been ten years since Kira has been caught...Matt, having been on the run for years and only wanting to settle down in peace, gets to understand that the only way to have a future is to untangle his past. A past mostly consisting of an abusive relationship with a certain blonde. And as he has to learn, the line between making peace and getting revenge is pretty much blurred.





	1. Chapter 1

It was raining, the sun going down, night setting in, giving way to a beautiful spectacle of orange and red on the horizon. Something you could see every October, if you were at the right place in Europe, that is.

He still had his hair dyed bright red, still had his goggles. Yet he felt old. 'Almost ten years ago.', he thought. The cigs were taking their toll, he was breathing hard, more skinny than he ever was. He would probably die in the next few years. But he did not care. Not at all. Not for this world, not for himself. Day in, day out, the same shit on repeat. He did not care.

Matt, as he was called, knew that this was the right place. No, he did not knew. He felt. It felt right, had the right vibe to it. His feelings were often better than his knowledge, or maybe his feelings were the way his brain made itself known. He did not know, did not care. The result was the same, wasn't it?

Synchronizing his steps with his prey, he went waster, approaching the target. Three metres, two metres.

The man in front of him twitched, looking back, probably guessing that he was getting trailed. But he made a run for it. He was older now, but fast, if he had to be. Fast enough.

**CLICK.**

The blonde prey tumbled forward, crashing into a wall.

Slowly, he looked over his shoulder.

Ice blue eyes, wide open, gazed into orange googles.

"You..."

"Mello."

"You should be dead..."

"Maybe I am?", the readhead said, shivering slightly.  
"But as I can see, you live.", he added.

"Why didn't you-?" - "follow you like the dog I am?", Matt finished. "Nope. That's over. I got better plans now. For me, and for you."

Matt fumbled a cigarette out of it's packaging, trying to light it.

"Matt! What does this fucking shit mean!? Answer me!"

"Just got a new job, apart from hacking."

"You... what!? You sick or something? Fuck off, I'm leaving."

"I wouldn't do that, If I were you. Your collar might explode."

"The f...?" Mello fingered around his neck, and sure enough, a solid feeling, metallic collar was on his neck. It felt slick, almost smooth, but tight enough so you could never forget that it was there. "Take it off. NOW!", he snarled.

The redhead looked at Mello, pondering. Still the same, hah. A look as if steam would come out of the blonde's ears. Always trying to order you around, no matter how bad the odds are. Never backing down, never accepting any critique, never stepping down in an argument. Like a fucking wall. A wall with a big mouth, hard fists and a gun. And blonde hair. A sexy one. Deadly. And talented in making you feel like an idiot for saying anything against him. No matter how right you are. Nah. Still the same. Evident from his face, his clothing, the arrogant glint in his eyes. The glint which says _I have won_.

'But you will see, Mells.', Matt voiced silently, lost in his thoughts.

An uncomfortable silence followed, until Mello made a step forward, glaring at his former best friend.

Matt shivered lightly, reminded by the blonde's outburts, long years ago. Outburts leading to tears, bruises, blood and long evenings in the bathroom, treating wounds. But this time, he reacted quickly, holding up a small remote control, his thumb lingering over a button.

Mello looked at his formed sidekick, who was now shaking his head slowly, looking at the floor.

"Matt! Fucking explain what this means, you cunt!"

The blonde made another step forward.  
And Matt's thumb landed on the button.

Mello's eyes widened, Matt looking him straight in the eyes. What was supposed to happen now? The blonde tried to form words, but couldn't. He tried to breathe, but couldn't. The ex mobster felt as if someone was choking him. Making another step forward, he fell on his knees, panic sinking in. Matt was still staring, holding his thumb on the button.

'I thought you loved me. I thought you loved me. I thought...', a voice repeated over and over in Mello's mind. A voice he wanted to kill a long time ago, but could not.

The blonde fell to the floor, with both hands on the collar, trying to rip it off. He was never that scared before, trying to look at his captor, while his feet were beginning to twitch involuntarily. Burning was hell, but asphyxating was more than that. He would never tell anyone, but Matt was the only one you could make him taste fear.

Finally, he could breathe again. Matt had let go of the button.

_'Thank you, thank you, thank you, ...'_

The hacker looked down at his captive, who was lying on the floor, his right arm at his neck, his left trying to reach Matt's right boot. He looked miserable. Broken. Not like Mello at all.

"I thought you had more fight in you.", Mello heard his former friend say, with a sad tinge in his voice. 'Would you have wanted me to fight you more?', he thought. 'I love you. I hoped...'

But Mellos thoughts were interrupted. Matt slowly walked around his prey, kneeling down and camly taking the arms of his new slave to his back. Mello did not fight back, as he felt handcuffs being locked around his wrists. His will to fight was gone. He felt tired. Tired of everything. Of hiding, of fighting, of life.

"Would you have killed me, really?", he whispered.

Matt only chuckled, lighting another cigarette. An action harder than a blow to the guts. Awkward silence again. Mello hated that. Matt's silence could be so loud that you wanted to carve your ears out.

"You killed me and left me to die. I can only return the favor.", Matt said, finally, before pressing another button on his remote.

And Mello's world went blank.


	2. Chapter 2

Matt had dragged his new slave to his makeshift hideout. He smiled over the cliché of taking the basement of an old factory, but here, in nowhere's land, he was safe. Nobody would ever look here. Not that Mello would be missed. Most people wanted to see him dead anyway, especially after the things he did in the aftermath of that Kira care. Yet, Matt played safe, something which was rooted deep inside his personality. Always have at least three times more of what you need. Time, cuffs, guns, hideouts, determination. Most criminals made the mistake of trusting their luck too much. Living the weird thought that if they robbed three banks, the fourth one would be cake, while in reality, the fourth would be their downfall.

Matt never trusted his luck.

Mello's left hand he had chained to a pipe, while keeping the remote to the shock collar always near him. The blonde was deadly, so much he knew from experience. Pointing a gun to you everytime he had to suffer some critique, no matter how minor and rational it was. Dragging you into his pointless fights with a sweet mouth, and then using words, fists and the occasional sex to keep you at it. In a way, Matt thought, Mello was like Near. But while Near used dolls and toys to plan his ways, Mello used people like pawns in a game of chess, dropping them off the board as soon as they were not important anymore. _Real people._

He had dropped Matt two times. First at Wammy's House, during his constant battle to get to Near. Then again during the Kira case, sending him on a suicide mission to capture Yagami's bitch, again to best Near. It was always Near.

Mello's life revolved around Near, like a deadly obsession, and he forced everyone into it. Matt had almost died, having been riddled with bullets like a swiss cheese... but he had seen it coming, hiding a bullet-proof west in his car, and strapping it to himself as soon as Mello was out of sight.

He knew that Lidner was involved. He knew that Mello's plan was to sacrifice him. Sending him into his certain death, just to get away with his plan.

Mello said it, yet without words. The way he had treated him the last few days before the kidnapping. As if he was sorry, which he wasn't. It was so plain it sight, so obvious, it hurt so much. Yet Mello never had the balls to say it, and Mello was to scared to ask.

Yes, Matt had seen it coming. Almost breaking down over the truth. That his so called best friend and occasionally lover just used him as a device to further his plans, like a goddamn pawn.

He had hope, a long time ago. He had hoped that he could help Mello to win his game... to safe him from his addiction to best everyone. To calm him down, to give him a somewhat normal life. A shared life on equal terms. Mello and Matt doing their thing, two boys against the world. But... that dream could never come true.

The hacker had known it, yet he clinged to that hope. That someone would need him, not out egoism, but for real. But that hope was busted from the start. Never was, never will be.

And when the bullets had hit him, the dream shattered into a thousand pieces.

Matt breathed hard, closing his eyes. It still hurt. He leanded to the wall opposite of his captive, slowly sinking down. The blonde ex-mobster slept, his head leaning to the pipe where the handcuffs holding his left wrist in a tight embrace were locked to.

"You didn't change.", the hacker whispered, suddenly feeling tired. Lighting a cigarette, he gazed over to his prey, Mello. Mello had killed and tortured people. He was abusive, cruel, sadistic, more like a vampire than a human, lusting for victory, and crumbling under the slightest setback. But now he was weak. He looked weak. Sitting on the floor, his head slumped over, his right hand idly fingering where he used to wear his Beretta. "You look so tired.", the hacker thought loudly.

"I am." - Mello still had his eyes closed, while Matt had opened his own ones widely, ready for everything. With Mello, you had to be ready for everything. The redhead pulled his legs up to his chest, inhaling a deep drag from his cigarette. The ash fell down on the floor.

The blonde captive slowly opened his eyes, staring at the concrete floor, rubbing his face with his free hand and groaning somewhat.

A few moments passed in complete silence. Matt looked idly at his cigarette, watching the red glow devouring it millimetre by millimetre.

"Now that you got me... what's the plan?", Mello asked finally.

Matt took another drag. "Alive you're worth way more than as a corpse.", he stated emotionless. "There are people who are willing to pay a lot for you.", the redhead added, smirking slightly.

Mello slowly shook his head, looking defeated, his icy blue eye's gaze lingering on Matt's boots; Long, blonde hair falling into his half-mangled face. Matt had finally got him, and he should have known... and he couldn't help but smile a little. Every puppy bites back after too many blows. No... he expected it to happen sooner or later, he had to admit to himself. Maybe wanted it to happen even. No, stop that bullshit.

He knew that Matt wasn't joking. The goggle-clad boy was just as sadistic and evil as he was... he knew it. But while he showed it around every day, embracing the role and embellishing it with leather and accessoires, his silent hacker friend... former friend... hid it well. You could see it in his eyes, if you ever saw his eyes, that is. You could never tell what he was thinking, always hiding it behind his goggles. But it was there. Matt could sell him alive to some mob boss or to the middle east for some fucking seven-figure sum with a straight face and without remorse, probably forcing him into a small crate and telling him to enjoy the trip, while reminding him to breathe economically with a sweet, sadistic grin.

"You know me well.", Matt said suddenly.

"I do.", Mello whispered.

"Scared?", the hacker cackled.

"Yes.", Mello forced the truth out, closing his eyes and pretending to sleep again.

Matt shuffled to his feet and walked away while switching out the light, leaving his captive in the dark, windowless room. Mello shivered has he heard the loud clang of the metal door, falling into it's lock.

He was now alone... alone in the dark. Left alone with his own mind, his own thoughts. "Please... no!", Mello whispered, with nobody near to hear him. 'It's so fucking hard to be honest to yourself. So fucking hard. Please... kill me.'


	3. Chapter 3

Mello did not remember when he had fallen asleep. His body ached and he felt every muscle in his body. He did not know for how long he was sitting there now, sitting on the cold concrete floor, his left hand handcuffed to a solid locking pipe. It was still absolutely dark. The blonde pulled his legs towards his lean body, noticing how he was shivering. It was cold in that room, too cold for his taste, since Matt had stripped him of every item of clothing, rest his leather pants.

Chocolate. A warm bed. Maybe someone to speak to. Silently he was laughing about his priorities, because the idea of freedom occured to him a few moments later. How could it be that he was longing for Lady Godiva, while he was rotting in some holding cell just be sold to the highest bidder by his former partner in crime?

Left in total darkness without food, water or anything to occupy his mind, the blonde captive wondered if it was midnight or noon, or where he was exactly. He could be under the earth or in a skyscraper. He did not know, and there was no way to deduce this information from his surroundings.

'Maybe I deserve this.', Mello thought. 'Or maybe this is just some fucked up hoax to force an apology out of me. Matt never really cared for money, why would he start now? And for revenge, if it was that what he wanted, he could just shoot me... or leave me to rot here.'

Mello swallowed drily. The possible implications of this train of thoughts he did not like at all.

The blonde yanked on the chain, testing the strength of his restraints, only to give him a sinking feeling. No chance. He was strong, but he could not break a steel chain, no matter how hard we tried. And he would most likely hurt himself in the process. Maybe with some makeshift tool he could open the lock, but his pockets were empty, as was the floor around him. And even if he could free himself, there was still the door, which was most likely locked well from the outside.

His mind screamed that he should do something, that he couldn't just wait for his most likely horribly fate to occur. If the mob would buy him, they would probably turn him into a living piece of furniture... he had seen those poor souls. Their arms and legs forced into a block of concrete, they spend the rest of their lives as an improvised yet alive foot-rest. And that was actually one of the nicer things they did to traitors.

'FIGHT!!', his mind screamed, over and over. But Mello could only sit there, defeated. "I can't.", he sobbed. "I can't. What should I do? There's no way out of this for me. I... I lost."

'You're a pathetic piece of shit.', his mind commented.

"I know.", the ex-mobster admitted.

* * *

They were interested. They really were. Most had thought he was dead, but after they heard from the offer on the darknet, everyone was after him, it seemed. The auction was already at seven figures, going strongly. "Made a lot of enemies, Mells.", Matt chuckled.

He was sitting in an old armchair, his legs drawn out, a laptop in his lap. Smokerings filled the air slowly. He had bought this old building with the money he'd put aside during the Kira case, and he had still a lot of it left. Mello he didn't need, really. Not for cash at least. But for himself. To balance things out, to break even, to end the wicked relationship he had with the blonde on neutral terms, finally. Matt could do a lot, but stepping down on uneven terms from some thing was what he could not do, at least not without going thru a lot of emotional turmoil. Things had to be sorted out.

It was of course hard or impossible to put a pricetag on the emotional pain he had went through. But while he could beat the shit out of his captive, or use him as a living ashtray... at this point he applauded his own creativity... well, it just did not feel right. It was egoistic. Mello had hurt and doublecrossed so many people so that it did not feel right at all not to share the blissful feeling of revenge. And so, he shared it, creating an untraceable auction site on the net, or rather the darker parts of it. "In good condition.", the textual description finished with.

Scrolling through the list of the most recent bidders, he noticed a lot of old "friends". There were the BPSN, the Cribs, the Inglewoods, the VSC, some group called Alba Saeva, the Bloods and a number of rollers, some even from as far as Seattle. It was like the who's who of the demimonde. Matt wondered how Mello survived the last ten years with so many factions on his heels. 'Fucking Seattle... you really made yourself a name, huh?'

Of course, he wasn't exactly unknown either. He had a name. A nickname, a handle, just going into things as **m2**. But nobody knew his _real_ name or face. He knew that he looked innocent, at times confused, the complete opposite of dangerous. The complete opposite of Mello. Subtle, discrete, ... deadly. If he wanted to, at least. 'Open and full of phantasy: Aquarius. Hell... Linda and her astrology voodoo.' He never could calculate his ascendant, as you needed the exact place and time of birth for that, but Matt was sure that it was Scorpio.

'Hm, talking of Scorpio...', the redheat thought, cracking his knuckles and putting the laptop on a table near his seat. 'Time to feed the prey...'

The hacker stood up and, while humming a cheerisch tune, made for the kitchen.


	4. Chapter 4

Mello jerked, as he could her the iron door being unlocked. Light was flooding into the small room, and the blonde couldn't help but squeeze his eyes shut.

"Feeding time!", Matt chimed, walking over to his prisoner and setting down a tray with some bread and water to the floor. "Here, help yourself."

The blonde captive eyed the tray warily. Bread and water wasn't what he had expected, but it was still better than going insane from starving. Hungrily he bit a big chunk off the bread and gulped it down quickly, as if someone could yank it away from him every time.

Matt was leaning to the wall, watching the scene in silence, balancing a cigarette between his lips. While the blonde was devouring his food, the redheaded hacker thumped the cigarette to flick the ash away, and continued to watch his former friend. "It's seven figures now.", he said, more to himself than to his captive.

"They hate me.", Mello said, after chewing down the last of his food. "Like you."

The redheaded slaver snickered. "If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead already, mister. And you know it. Stop playing games with me, and most of all... with yourself."

"I thought you were the gamer of the two of us."

"I play with pixels, you play with humans. That's the difference. And I'm not gaming all the time, like you want to believe. Do you think this would work if I didn't invest some time into it? Or that I could have told you all the shit about that fangirl bitch-"

"Misa.", Mello interrupted.

"Yeah, whatever.", Matt snarled. "She's dead anyway."

Mello raised a brow.

"I shot her."

"Why?"

"Why. You ask like a little child. She was the second Kira. And more dangerous than the real one, if you ask me."

"I'm not asking you, nobody does."

"I know. I know that nobody asks me. And I know that you never asked me, for anything. You just expect everything silently. And if I wouldn't read your wishes off your face, you still had a good punch.", Matt yelled. And whispering he added: "I still have a scar from when you pistol-whipped me. I don't even remember what it was for."

"You smoked in the appartment.", Mello said matter-of-factly.

The hacker just shook his head. Lifting his googles and leaving them resting on his forehead, he slowly padded over to the handcuffed blonde. With a strength Mello did not expect from him at all, the redhead snatched the blonde's right wrist, pinning it to the wall. The glowing cigarette still between his lips, Matt leaned in for a kiss, the glowing butt of the cigarette closing in onto Mello's face.

The blonde panicked, twiching his legs and trying to kick his captor, tugging at the handcuffs restraining his left arm while putting all his strength into his other one, trying to get free from Matt's iron grip, yet to no avail.

The cigarette came nearer and nearer, finally touching the blonde's cheek. It was hot, hot, hot, the searing pain overwhelming the bound's mind. Mello let out a deperate scream, twitching and shaking his legs. Only after a few seconds, which felt like an eternity, Matt let go, blowing cold smoke into his captive's face.

Mello sobbed unsteadily, gasping for air and clenching his teeth, trying hard to avoid the gaze of his captor.

Matt leaned onto the wall again and chuckled silently, blowing smokerings again. With his free hand, the blonde snatched the glass of water to cool the burnmark on his cheek. The room fell silent, apart from the hitched breathing of the blonde prisoner.

"You know...", the hacker finally said darkly, "I do not feel remorse. It's payback time. Don't think you can give me a bad conscience for what I'm doing with you. I don't feel anything anymore. Nothing. 'Cause what I feel I take out on you. You're the blank canvas for my pain to paint on. A punching bag. You understand?"

Mello just nodded, unable to respond to that. After a few more moments, Matt left, the heavy iron door falling shut again, leaving the blonde in total darkness again.

The new burn on his cheek itched horribly, reminding Mello of the time when Matt had treated his wounds after the explosion. Hardfaced, the blonde bit his tongue, forcing himself to stop sobbing. He would never give his former partner the pleasure of breaking him. No. He had done what had to be done. He had... helped. To rid the world of Kira. Near wouldn't have been able to do it without him. 'Why did I ever try to get the help of that KID again? I should have worked alone!', he thought bitterly. Even if noone could see him here, in some cold holding cell in total darkness, Mello tried to look stern and determined. Even if it was only for himself.


	5. Chapter 5

A redheaded male was looking at him curiously. A smile, slowly turning into a frown. 'Interesting.', he thought, and turned away from the mirror. It was a habit he'd developed long ago. Staring at his reflection somehow calmed him down when he was jumpy.

Evil did not suit him, this he knew for sure. He was not evil. Couldn't stand cruelty, or even arguments. So why? Why was he doing this now? Slipping into the play he had rehearsed over and over for years in his head, he leaned back. The answers never felt right and the conclusions never complete. And why was it even important?

At least this part he could somehow explain to himself. He knew he was trusting and somewhat clingy, always wanting to help people, to comfort them, and Mello... being a genius had known exactly which buttons to press. Maybe it was genuine friendship at some point, when both were kids. At least that was what he wanted to believe.

But it slipped fast. Back at Whammy's House, Mello had made him hate Near and play cruel jokes on him. And everytime he had done what was expected he couldn't sleep out of remorse. The redhead had felt so sorry for everything the albino had to endure... and he still felt sorry. But still... Mello had something magical on him, and for a long time he was perfectly able to make Matt do everything for him. Fucking everything.

He had left him at the orphanage without a word, only to come back after he had blewn himself up, demanding help again. Yet Mello had changed. Manipulation gave way to violence, and abuse. Yet still Matt clinged to the ex-mobster and endured everything. And the things Mello had demanded him to do during the investigation... he didn't even want to go into that one. Too horrible and embarassing

'I'm a horrible human being. I should have stopped it somehow.', he thought, filled with a mixture of anger and sadness.

The final blow was the Takada kidnapping. He had risked his fucking life for the blonde, only to be dumped again. While he was withering in pain at the hospital, Mello had long since been gone into hiding again, never to return.

Some time later, he had accidentally run into Misa Amane, only to shoot her in the head for a reason he still couldn't put into words.

Then there were times where he had wanted to shoot himself. A lot of times. Almost ten years he had wandered the world, without knowing where to go. Often he had tried to start a new life, only to abandon it immediately again. Because _it_ always crept back to him. The things Mello had made him do. Violence. Murder. Torture. The things he had done for some affection, or maybe just a single 'thank you'. The hacker knew that he would burn in hell, but at least he could be sure that Mello would burn with him.

He had kidnapped Mello, basically on a whim. Because he could not get over the things which could not be undone anymore. He had thought about just yelling 'I HATE YOU SO MUCH!' at the blonde, or writing him a whiny letter. But when he had finally tracked him down, he imagined Mello just laughing into his face about what a trusting and easy- to-be-manipulated idiot he was, which he was. This phantasy was what had made him go into overdrive. Since just shooting the blonde was out of the question, as he had vowed never to kill anyone ever again, there had to be something else. And delivering Mello to one of the many factions or people he had hurt so much, while being a wicked kind of justice, was the best he could think of. If he couldn't make the blonde feel sorry, maybe they could. And then it would be over. When Mello would finally get what he deserved, the redhead could maybe, maybe, feel free.

It was a vague hope of course. Maybe the feeling of being free of the past would never come. In that case... but he had to try. To be able to spend the rest of his life doing good things, comforting people... but the right people, this time. He knew that he would rather shoot himself on the spot than getting used by people like Mello ever again.

The hacker looked into the mirror again, noticing that he was crying.


	6. Chapter 6

"Alba Saeva here.", the voice on the phone said through a voice filter, which was to be expected.

"Pleased to hear from you.", Matt drawled.

"You have him?"

"Yes."

"Alive?"

"He's enjoying his stay."

"I'm positive he is. Need help with him?"

"Nah, it's okay. He's wearing a remote-controlled collar. Can deliver a nasty shock or make him choke. GPS is included, of course. I'm proud of it."

"Interesting. One last thing."

"Go ahead."

"We would like to haul him in at your place."

"S'okay, I suppose. But don't try anything funny."

"That is not our kind of humor. Being in this business for a long time we know how important a good reputation is."

"Good. When do you wanna come over?"

"Tomorrow. 0900 exactly. Agreed?"

"Agreed. I'll be waiting. Ring M2 in morse."

Matt hung up his phone. Those Alba Saeva guys seemed very inclined to get hold of Mello. Eight figures. And they had hinted before that Mello had done something horrible to their group. But no matter how the redhead thought about this, it still felt weird. Weird to sell his formerly best...

Shaking his head, the stripe-clad hacker balled his fists. 'He's getting under my skin again. Get over it, Jeevas. Get over it.', he thought, anger boiling in him while pacing through the room.

After cooling off somewhat, Matt decided it would be at least fair to tell his captive about the deal. He made for the stairs, slowly walking down the three floors to his makeshift prison.

He flicked on the light and opened the door, peering in carefully first to see if his captive got loose. But Mello was still sitting there chained to the pipe, his eyes trained on Matt.

The hacker flopped down on the floor, lighting a cigarette, while the blonde watched silently. After taking a drag and coughing somewhat, he spurted it out. "You're sold, Mells."

"Long time you called me that.", the blonde male said darkly. "Made some nice profit out of me?"

"Yes.", Matt said, trying to judge which of the many masks of Mello he was talking to now.

"Too bad... can't we talk about it, Matty?", Mello said, with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Matt took another drag, looking at the ceiling, and then back at his captive. "I don't even know _if_ there's anything you could say to make it up for me."

"I'm sorry?"

"Ha ha, very funny.", the hacker deadpanned.

"Can you at least give me a saw?"

"This isn't fucking SAW, Mello! And don't get me ideas!", Matt yelled, his voice booming in the small chamber.

"Playing hard, huh?", the blonde said, chuckling a bit.

"You're scared, Mells. I can tell. You talk too much."

"Oh, so now you're a psychologist? Trying to get into my mind? Ha! Don't you-"

"I wouldn't even want to know what's in there.", Matt interrupted his prisoner. He felt his anger boiling up again, rage clouding his thoughts. Taking a last deep drag and burning the cigarette down to the filter, he flipped it away. 'Don't let him get at you.', he thought.

"You will let me go anyway at some point.", Mello said as if it was an established fact. "Stop this hoax. I know you want me. You can even top."

The hacker looked away, fumbling for another cigarette. 'He still doesn't realize in what situation he's in. He still thinks he can control me. But, I have to admit, he still gets under my skin. After all these time. Pathetic.', he thought, leaning onto the wall and closing his eyes.

"Toss me the key already. Matt. Matt!", Mello yelled.

Matt just looked in disbelief at the blonde.

"MATT! I'll beat the shit out of you. You hear me? I'll beat the fucking shit out of you. I'll break all your bones! Give. Me. The. Key.", the blonde screamed, his blue eyes full rage and madness. He suddenly lunged forward, only to be held back by the handcuffs which connected his left wrist to a pipe.

The redhead didn't stir, still watching the spectacle of misery in awe and silence. "You really did think it was a game.", he said finally, sadness in his voice. "I hoped...", his voice cracked. "I hoped... I hoped that you would have changed."

"Cry me a fucking river.", the blonde growled, panting heavily and yanking at the handcuffs furiosly.

"Maybe I'll do. I feel... sorry for you. I really do. What made you become... like _this_?"

Mello just spat in Matt's direction, still growling and panting. The hacker couldn't help but feel reminded of some feral animal. 'I have to get out of here.", his mind screamed. He jumped onto his feet and darted out of the room.

Gasping for air, he sat on the floor, leaning onto the now closed door and flicking the light in the cell out. Matt could have thought he'd heard a wail in the cell. But right now, he could not care less. Sobbing, he fell asleep, only metres away from Mello, but with a heavy iron door between them.


	7. Chapter 7

_Ding. Ding.  
Di-Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding._

Matt scrambled to his feet. M2. They were here. Already. Fuck, 09:00. The redhead ran up the stairs, trying not to loose his pants, which were much too big for his wiry frame, while pulling his beloved, striped shirt over his head.

Pulling his gun, but keeping it just out of sight, he slowly opened the front door.

For a few moments, there was total silence. The world came to a standstill. Then he tumbled backwards, leaning to the wall and panting heavily.

"May I come in?", Near asked, furrowing his brows.

"Ye... Yes.", the hacker studdered.

Near had grown. A lot. He was now as tall as Matt. If not a bit taller. His face had changed too. It was more lean, more pronounced. And while he still wore his trademark pyjamas, he had given himself a new look by keeping the top unbottoned over a grey t-shirt, the white fabric slowly fluttering in the mild wind outside. His white curly hear and the dark, unblinking eyes were still there. Those had immediately given him away.

He stepped inside, noticing that Matt was still trembling and holding his gun.

"There's no need to shoot the customer.", the albino said with a slight smirk.

"You are Alba Saeva?", Matt asked, putting the gun into his jeans pocket.

"Yes. I am the Cruel White."

Then it occured to Matt. Why hadn't he noticed? It was too obvious.

Near closed the distance to the redhead, and with a strength Matt never would have expected from him, he was being shoved roughly to the wall. "You are under arrest for human trafficking, Mail Jeevas.", Near said coldly, handcuffing Matt's wrists behind his back and snatching away his gun. The redhead looked down in defeat, while his mind was racing.

"Where is he?", Near demanded.

"Cellar.", the hacker said.

The white haired boy forced him down the three flights of stairs, handing him roughly by the chain connecting the cuffs. Matt hissed in pain, as the metal dug into his wrists, but struggling, so much he expected, would make it only worse.

Finally, the two came to stop in front of the iron door.

Near pressed the light switch and opened the door, shoving Matt inside, who was becoming more nervous by the second. A life in prison wasn't exactly what he had in mind for his future, but it fitted in a weird way, considering his past. The thought made him almost chuckle. If out of despair or some sick sense of humor, he did not know. Near looked as devoid of emotion as he always had. Some things never change, the hacker thought.

As the sickly weak light of the lightbulb engulfed the room, Mello looked at Near and the now arrested Matt in utter shock. "Near.", the blonde growled.

"Mello.", Near responded coldly, his voice full of contempt, and gazed at the captive blonde. "It's been some time."

"Whatever, Near. Care to free me, or where you just in for a smalltalk with Stripes?", Mello asked sarcastically.

"Mello asking me for help. That is a new thing. But I fear, as you clearly brought yourself into this predicament, I refuse to help you."

Matt's mouth fell agape in shock, while the icy blue eyes of the blonde male showed a glint of anger. Yanking at the handcuffs holding his left wrist, he jumped to his feet. "You have no idea what you're talking about, Near! Do you think I chained myself to a fucking pipe, in some abandoned basement no less? Matt did this! And obviously you know exactly what shit is happening here. Or why did you arrest him exactly? And now fucking let me free, you cunt!", Mello yelled, frantically gesticulating with his free hand.

"I restrained Matt for his own safety, keeping him safe from dumb ideas. Like freeing you out of a false sense of camaraderie.", the white haired male explained.

"WHAT!?", Matt screeched, trying to get free from Nears grip without success.

"I fear I developed a sense of humor, Matt.", Near said, a creepy smile flushing over his face, while Mello glared at them, bursting with blind rage.

"As for you, Mello...", Near began, his voice lowering into an almost whipser, "I know you. I know that you manipulated Matt, your best friend, into doing bad things to me. Also I know that you used your manipulative skills, and later plain violence too, to make him do your dastardly deeds. I remember well how I could hear Matt crying late at night after something had happened to me. And as much as you, Mello, want to believe that I do not have such a thing, it broke my heart. Did it ever occur to you that he loved you genuinely? That he did all this for you out of love, only to be treated by you as a doormat or punching bag, or even as a fuck toy? It was obvious, I could see it in Matt's face. That's why I was always first, Mello. Because I could see other people too, besides myself. But still, whatever may have been, I had to keep Matt from doing something he would later regret. So it was me who bought you. And I will now leave you here for good. Because you know as well as I do that you **can** get out of this yourself. If you really want to, and if you can handle some pain. Break your thumb, maybe. Or I could ask some of my men to bring you a saw. I don't really care how you do it. Like you did not care how Matt did all the horrible things you made him do, and most importantly, how he coped with it."

Matt looked down, his shoulders slumped forward, avoiding both the looks of Near and Mello, the latter of which was just balling his fist until his knuckles where white.

Near turned around, dragging a slightly struggling Matt by his handcuffs with him. "Good bye, Mello.", the albino said, without looking back.

"Near!", Mello screamed, a sound which made Matt flinch. "Matt! Do something!".

The redhead just shook his head, tears running from his eyes, while he was led out of the room. "I'm sorry. I'm ... sorry, Mello, believe me, I... I cannot.", he whispered.

"Near!", the blonde screamed again on the top of his lungs. But Near, with a stern face, just slowly closed the iron door, muffling the screams of the captive inside the room. Finally he flicked the light switch off, leaving Mello alone in total darkness.

Matt shivered all the way up, salty tears wetting his pale face, while Near pushed him forwards. Outside, a black car was already waiting. The hacker was shoved into the backseat, while the pyjama clad man took the pessenger seat. "We're finished here, Gevanni.", he finally said. Slowly, the car pulled out of the parking lot of an abandoned gas station in the middle of a forest, and a short time later it was smoothly gliding over a road, winding itself towards civilization.

A few minutes into the drive, Near turned around and carefully wiped the tears from the cheeks of a now silent Matt. The redheaded hacker looked down in defeat, uncaring for whatever was going to happen to him now. Closing his eyes, he wished that he would just die right there.


End file.
